Weaves of Fate and Fortune
by AlQaholic
Summary: Explorers. Adventurers. Survivors. Tomb raider meets treasure hunter as Lara Croft's and Nathan Drake's paths collide in the search for a mythical city of wealth and wisdom. A walk in the park or will uncovering the secrets of the past prove to be more trouble than it's worth? (Takes place after ROTTR and U2) ***RATING MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
1. Weaves of Fate

"Hey. Is this Blaine?"

. . .

. . .

"Yeah... it's Lara."

. . .

. . .

"Listen. I know it's been a while and this is short notice but remember that favor you owe me? I'm calling it in. I was hoping you could-"

. . .

. . .

"What do you mean?"

. . .

. . .

"Well... I think I'm close to finding the lost city of Zerzura. I hate to say it but this is something I can't figure out alone. I'm in some hot water right now and there's a bounty out on my head so I need someone I can trust to work with. Do you know anybody with experience? I don't have much time so they need to be ready to travel by tomorrow."

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

"I don't know where else to turn. I'm out of options and time."

. . .

. . .

"Who?"

. . .

. . .

"Nathan Drake?"

. . .

. . .

"And I can trust him to not try and cash in on my bounty?"

. . .

. . .

"More or less?!"

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Okay... I'll take your word for it."

. . .

. . .

"You mentioned he's a treasure hunter, right? He'll be interested in what I'm paying."

. . .

. . .

"Okay. I'll be waiting for your call. Thanks."

. . .

. . .

"Bye."

* * *

"Nathan Drake."

"Nate, It's Blaine."

"Blaine! How's it been? Still slumming it in Ecuador?"

"Are you busy because I've got a job for you? A good one. There's a lot in it for you if you decide to take it up."

"I'm listening."

"A friend of mine is looking for the lost city of Zerzura and needs someone to collaborate with. Someone with your skillset. Are you up for it?"

"The lost city of Zerzura, huh? I don't know. Who is this 'friend' of yours?"

"Lara Croft. She's an English archaeologist and knows her stuff. You're going to want to at least check this out before declining the offer. I talked to her about it over the phone and I'm telling you, a lot of cash just to help her put the pieces together. Also, I think I should probably tell you... she's has a bounty on her head too."

"Now there's something that-"

"Nate, look at the bigger picture. You've never been able to locate the lost city by yourself before. Believe me, she just might but she's looking for some help. Don't pass it up - this is an opportunity for you. A real moneymaker. If not for the money, do it for me. I owe her a solid."

"Right... I wasn't being serious. Okay, I'm in. So, where am I headed?"

"England."

* * *

Nathan threw his bag into the airport taxi before getting in with Blaine. The car door closed with a slam. This was it. No backing out now. Drake had to admit, he was skeptical. He'd never been able to pinpoint the lost city himself so what were the chances of someone else getting close? However, Nate had confidence in Blaine. He'd hooked him up with promising work in the past although he didn't look like the kind of person that would do it. A professional poker player, drunkard, and gambler with a soft spot for beautiful women, his fatal attraction to debt never allowed him out of harm's reach. Not exactly who you thought of when you wanted worthwhile work, but the track record said otherwise. One thing was certain - he had connections. And, in exchange for a cut of the payout, he'd give you them.

Right now, Nathan just wanted to get to the place so he could finally stretch and have some proper legroom. It was late and jet lag wasn't mixing well with a long day of flight.

"Where're you guys heading?" the taxi driver asked.

"Here." Blaine handed him a slip of paper that had the address. It read:

 _142, Abbingdon Road, Guildford, Surrey_

"That's not too far." The taxi driver spoke. "Should be a half-hour drive. Just about."

"Great." Blaine pulled out a chrome flask from his back pocket and took a sip of whiskey. "Ahh. That's good stuff." He motioned towards Nathan, flask in hand.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It's bourbon."

"Eh, what the hell." Nate took the flask.

* * *

The taxi pulled up to the open gates of a dark and looming manor signalling the end of their ride and the beginning of something new. The full moon and fogginess of the night only added to the already spooky ambience.

Nathan pulled out his wallet which was full of British sterling. "How much is it?"

"50 pounds." the taxi driver responded.

"Here you are."

"Thank you. Have a good night."

"Oh, actually I'm not staying. Do you mind waiting out here for a few minutes? I won't be long." Blaine added.

"Sure thing."

"Great. Thanks."

The two got out, passing the spiky manor gates and starting towards the main entrance. On the outskirts of the property were picturesque gardens that paled in comparison to the high walls they surrounded. The immensity and age of the mansion was clear enough to Drake from the outside. Easily many millions of dollars. A few of the windows were lit up by an orange glow that faded into the darker regions.

"I should shoot a horror film here." Nathan spoke. "Whaddya think?"

"You're joking."

"Oh no. I'm serious. In fact, I can already see it. Nathan Drake, movie director... Has a certain ring to it."

"Maybe Elena could help you with that. She's got experience behind the camera doesn't she?"

"She's a journalist not a filmmaker. And no. We don't really talk anymore."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Things just aren't how they used to be. Shit happens y'know."

"Ain't that the truth." Blaine opened the door to the mansion. "She said just walk in."

The door opened up into a very large and very glamorous-looking main hall. Quaint paintings lined the walls and a comforting fire was going off in a corner of the room - its distinct crackle dissipating in the vast amounts of space offered. Expensive-looking furniture permeated the mansion at every level as if the lavishness of it all wasn't clear enough already. In all its grandeur, a set of stairs furnished with luxurious runners lay at the end of the main hall and split into left and right as it led up to the next floor. Even the few plants scattered around the room looked expensive. To put the cherry on top, a chandelier hung from the ceiling and highlighted the surrounding glamour with its fanciful radiance.

"Jesus Christ. This place is huge."

Blaine called out. "Lara?"

"I'm over here!" She responded. "Just come up. First door to your right last room down the hall"

They both made their way up the set of stairs, Nate almost stopping when they passed a suit of armor on display. Definitely from the Crusades era. Forget Zerzura, it was interesting enough just to walk around this place! "Must've cost a fortune." He murmured. Lara was sitting at a drafting table with a map of Africa in front her when they walked in.

Blaine didn't mention she was attractive.


	2. The First Step

Nathan glanced at Blaine and then back at the girl as they walked into the study room.

"Well then. At this point you might as well be my matchmaker." Drake piped up.

Blaine shook his head and looked at him. "Why did I tell her you were professional?" He mumbled.

"What? I am."

"Right... anyway... Lara! Are you too busy to say hi?"

Lara pried her focus away from the map in front of her and stood up to greet the men. She was so close. Hopefully, getting some outside assistance was not a mistake because there was no one else to go to. Jonah certainly didn't want to be part of it anymore - understandable, considering his close call with death after their last endeavour. Reyes was right. Everyone involved with her seemed to get hurt no matter how much she didn't want them to. But she can't stop now. This was her life now. Her legacy.

"Apologies. I've just been so busy. I have to say, you're looking good for your age. This life must favor you."

"And you are looking as lovely as ever Miss Croft. Let me introduce you to my contact here, this is the man I was telling you about. He's a real character."

Lara turned her attention to the rugged-looking man next to her. His grip was firm, like that of a vice, when they shook hands. It wasn't a normal grip, at least not one you could get in a gym. No, this was something else - something you could only get from experience. The roughness of his hands were that of a seasoned explorer and his muscular physique only served as further proof of the fact.

Drake couldn't quite get a read on it but something was off about this woman. The intense look in her eyes only confirmed it. The soft features of her face betrayed what his instincts were telling him. He didn't know exactly what she's been through but it was something that left a mark beyond the clearly visible. There's more to this woman than meets the eye. Why would someone like her be looking for a lost city?

Subtly, they sized the other up.

"Nathan Drake."

"Lara. Pleasure to meet you."

Their liasion chimed in. "Nate here has been involved in the search for all sorts of things around the world so I'm sure he'll come in handy for whatever you need him for. Now, I'd love to stay and talk but, unfortunately, I have a meeting to get to so I can't stay and catch up."

"Already leaving?"

"I know... Well I'll leave you to it then. Good luck with finding the city."

"All right. Stay out of trouble for me, will ya?"

Blaine chuckled before walking out. "I'll try."

"Blaine told you why you're here right?" Lara asked.

"Yeah..." Drake took a good look around the area, the workspace they would be sharing. Papers were scattered around the room, on her desk, bookshelf, floor, anywhere they could be. A few books had been pulled from the shelf and were lying right out in the open. It looked like the wind had blown out papers from a folder and strewn them all over the room. At the heart of it all was a computer. "So, when do we get started?"

"Right now, actually."

"Ohhhh..." Nathan groaned and stretched his arms. "I could really use a nap right now but your the boss. Show me what you got."

* * *

Lara flipped threw some pages in her father's notebook. It had several days and they were getting far. "According to mainstream history, he didn't travel much, at least not as an explorer but that's simply not true. You know a lot of people don't know this about Leonardo Da Vinci but he loved to record everything. There wasn't just one journal that he had, he had multiple detailing everything about his life but a few he kept secret for some reason - they were the ones detailing his expeditions around the world. At some point I believe he went looking for the lost city of Zerzura and if he did he would've wrote about it in his journal. He was very religious man and a seeker of knowledge. I think he wanted to find the city because in it is said to be a library 'lost to mankind'. Leonardo believed the Bible wasn't the full account of history, which the library supposedly contained. And it's not just that, all of the knowledge and secrets of the universe is said to lie there in addition to God's work. I wonder if he ever found it or not."

"Apparently, the guy kept writings dating back to the 13th century that spoke about 'a city as white as a dove' and they called it 'The Oasis of Little Birds' - Zerzura in other words. Considering that, Leonardo had to have be involved with it in some way. Maybe he went looking for it, I don't know. The journal is the only way to find out and I think I know where he kept the one or ones we need. Take a look at this Lara."

She walked over to where Drake was at her computer.

"Before Leonardo died, he told a friend that he would take his secrets to the grave. I don't think he was being metaphorical. The journals must still be with him where he was buried!"

"Oh my god, Nate, you're right! I don't know how I didn't see that. I must've missed it. Where did they bury him?"

"One moment..." Nathan typed some words out and hit enter."

"The Chapel of Saint-Hubert in Amboise, France." She read.

Drake got up from the chair. "That settles it. So when do we leave?"

"What?" Lara looked at him.

"When do we leave... for France."

"Nate... Nathan... I'm sorry but... there is no we. I'm only paying you for helping me find it. Remember? That was the deal. Didn't Blaine tell you that when he set this up?"

"Oh no... no no no no. So I help you find it and you're just going to cut me loose like that? After all that? You can't be serious." Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Fuck..."

"Drake..."

"Don't 'Drake' me... No... I see what's going on here. You put on a show like we were in this together the whole time but you planned to ditch me all along didn't you, so you can find the lost city without me? I should've seen it coming. I was a fool to ever think I couldn't find it myself." Venom soaked his words. Past betrayals left a bad taste in the mouth - betrayals not soon to be forgotten. It stung to have it happen again.

Lara tried to salvage the situation. "I told Blaine to-"

"No you did not! You lied to me! Straight through your fucking teeth!"

"I can't afford anyone else getting caught up in all this! And you wouldn't have wanted to work with me if you knew that."

"Bullshit. All bullshit..." Drake pointed an accusing finger at her. "I know your type. You just want it all for your-"

The words began to flow out like the tear running down her cheek. "You know what Drake... Fuck you. You don't know the half the hell I've been through to get to this point. Do you know... what happens to people around me?! They die! They get hurt! And now... I have a target over my head, a secret society trying to kill me, and there's nobody left for me anymore! You think I would've asked you if I had a choice?! The only reason you're here is because I have no time left!" Lara didn't know. Why was she letting herself go in front of a man she barely knew? Keeping so much in one bottle? Eventually something's going to give. Even, if she didn't want it to.

"Lara... I..." Drake clenched his fists listening to her. The flash of anger he just felt no longer shielded him from the realization of his mistake. Betrayal... it burned, but it didn't burn as much as seeing this. Everyone has there reasons, he of all people should know that. It was in these moments he was least proud of himself, for losing control. Never lose control. Fury had consumed him and he scolded himself for it. There were a lot of things he never meant to be and this was one of them. He could already feel it, the gnawing of regret. It cut to the core.

Drake's eyes twitched from the disturbance. There was an unnatural glint of light and it was coming through one of the windows in the room - more precisely, from a tree not to far from where they were. He knew this light... and his eyes... they were quick to snap to it.

"No! You have no idea...! You think you know me? You don't know s-"

"Lara! Get down!"


	3. This Game of Mine

Drake dove for Lara. A bullet pierced the window, passing close to his head and burrowing into a bookshelf on the far wall. They hit the ground. Hard. Full metal jacket pierced the wooden flesh of the house and sunlight bled into the room from the apertures. Bullets perforated the furniture. There was no bang, just the soft pop of silenced death. For a second, Lara didn't know what was going on.

"Nate!?"

"Stay down!" Nathan shielded Lara with his body as rounds hit everywhere around them. Their attacker aimed low to the floor, guessing where they landed. Lara pulled herself closer to him. Bullets buzzed by. Death was calling. Cooing into her ear. A few more bullets hit where the sniper thought they were and the firing suddenly stopped.

Drake counted ten shots. "Go! While he's reloading!" They only had a few seconds. Nathan helped her up and she threw the door to the hallway open. They split off into different directions - Drake going for the room where his stuff was and Lara to hers. They had no plan, but did they need one?

"Where are you going?" Drake shouted.

"To get my weapon!"

As Lara ran along the walkway, the front doors to the mansion were breached with explosives and armed men charged in, automatics ready. Machine guns blared. Bullets pinged off the railing next to her as windows on the second floor blew out. A few men rappeling down came in hot. Lara quickly shut the door behind her and ran over to the bed. Resting upon white fabric sat her bow and a full quiver of arrows. She slung it over her shoulder and quickly opened one of the windows in the room before slipping under the bed. Men broke down the door not a second after with their weapons raised to the shoulder. They stormed the room with methodical precision. Trinity's elite.

"What the fuck? The target's gone." A man spoke.

One of them noticed the open window and peered out. Some bushes were below. "She jumped down. Get out there now; Alpha team will secure the objective. Remember, kill on sight! "

The men shuffled out. A few seconds later, breaching charges went off and gunshots could be heard.

"CONTACT! Get the fuck down!"

"Flush him out!"

"Damn it, Nate." Lara feared the worst. She had to hurry. Crawling out, Lara moved slowly into the next room with her bow. "You will not desecrate this manor." She snarled under her breath.

Across the gap and on the other side of the house, Drake took shelter next to the edge of the doorway and blindfired into the hallway with his Makarov. Spent casings fell to his feet. "What the hell is this? Military?" Their maneuvers were well-coordinated and organized. Drake reloaded, the magazine knocking against the floor, and popped out of cover. Bullets crashed upon the doorway forcing him to retreat back behind the wall again. The sheer volleys of bullets made it impossible to get an accurate shot out. As one man suppressed, the other two advanced inch by inch, cover to cover. His sidearm was no match for guns that spit metal and shattered the air. Suddenly the hailstorm stopped, and Drake saw his chance. He leaned out, dropping one of the two soldiers distracted by the death of their gunner. He snapped to the other and emptied his clip into the man's chest, bringing him down.

A barrel protruded from a corner. One of them was hiding the entire time. The soldier aimed his rifle at Drake but never got the chance to fire. An arrow bored through his skull and out the other side. He fell like a ragdoll, brainless.

Drake was glad to see his colleague in one piece. "Well aren't you a pleasant surprise. What'd you do for someone to send a goddamn special ops unit to your house?"

"It's a long story." Lara replied.

"Hell of a story, I'm sure. So who are these guys?"

"Trinity, and they've never been this bold before. They're probably close to finding the city and must want me out of the way."

"Hey! We got casualties!" A soldier yelled from the main hall.

Nathan looted two rifles from the bodies, one for himself. "Party's about to start up again. Are you good with guns?" Nathan said handing her an AK-47.

She hung her bow around the torso and reloaded the rifle with expert precision. "You have no idea."

"Okay, okay. I'm likin' it." Nathan said approvingly. He was about to steal a grenade too but Lara's hand stopped him.

"Uh, no grenades. I want my house intact."

"Oh, right. You live here."

They moved into an antechamber that connected to the second floor main hall. Soldiers were running up the stairway and unaware of their position. Lara hid behind a sofa that had a good view of the hall and Drake positioned herself at the entryway. The chorus of boots loudened. Lara peeked and fired down into the stairway as soldiers were just reaching the top of it. She cut several down before they knew what was happening. One soldier slipped by the stream of bullets and hugged the wall, of which Drake was on the other side.

"Take cover!" Their team leader shouted.

The squad returned fire and Drake peppered the area while Lara loaded a new mag. The two sides exchanged salvos and neither seemed to be getting anywhere. One soldier tossed a flashbang. Lara saw it coming and took cover but Nate couldn't from behind the wall. Closing his eyes made no difference against the white flash. The shockwave deafened his ears and its blast beat at his head while soldiers ran into the room. It was enough to tip the scale.

"Holy shit!" Nathan couldn't even hear himself speak.

One turned to subdue Drake but Lara put him down and several others who tried to contest the area. Disoriented, he felt himself unable to maintain balance. Gunshots turned to whispers and what was once his vision was now pure white canvas. He grimaced and fell down in the middle of the firing lane between the two sides, feeling for something to grab.

"Damn it!" Lara vaulted over the sofa and continued pinning the last soldier left. She had to keep firing but her clip was running out. The gun stopped kicking, if she didn't grab him now they would slaughter him in a second. Lara grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into cover just as their enemy started to fire. She was out of rounds and he was stunned. The last soldier rushed for the room. There was no time to reload. He rounded the corner and Lara swatted the barrel away from him. The gun roared. Bullets sprayed wildly into the hallway, scarring the walls and smashing a vase. They vied for control of the gun and struggled over to the railing overlooking the main hallway. Lara shoved the stock of the rifle into the man's face causing him to release the weapon and kicked him back. She trained the sights on him and pulled the trigger.

Click.

"What? No bullets?" A malicious grin could be seen under the man's mask.

He charged towards Lara and slammed her into the far wall. She struggled to breath from the sudden blow. Lara grunted as a flurry of punches dug into her stomach. The man pinned her with his superior weight as she tried to fight back but it was no use. Heavy armor shrugged off her blows. Gut-wrenching pain destroyed any sliver of focus. He grabbed her and flung her against another wall. Her head clapped against the hard wood and she crumbled, leaning against it. The man approached from the corners of her vision. With one hand, he seized her by the hair and jerked Lara to her feet. A pained cry escaped her lips as he began to choke the life out of her. Screams came out as sick gurgles. She was blacking out.

A gunshot went off and the man dropped like a stone.

Nathan lowered his rifle. "Jesus, Lara."

Lara fell onto her hands and gasped for any air she could. Her breathes were quick and short and coughing beset the lungs. Life was being breathed back into her. "Nathan..." She croaked

He helped her up. "All right, upsy-daisy."

"Oh, that hurts..." Lara groaned and clutched her battered stomach.

"You okay?"

"Yeah..." She coughed some more. "I just need air..." Lara took a few more breaths. "How are you?" She asked, putting a hand up against the wall.

"After that shitstorm? I feel like a million bucks."

Lara smiled. "Thanks for saving my life..."

"You saved mine too." Nathan reminded her. "Let's call it even."

"I'm really sorry. This was supposed to be... well not this." She motioned to the aftermath. The house was riddled with scars, wood was chipped, things were damaged, and they were no better off than before.

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to getting shot at." Nathan assured her.

"Are you now?" She asked playfully.

"I'm a real celebrity with the bad guys. In a weird, screwed up kind of way, it's actually pretty fun."

"We're one and the same, Nate."

"It would seem..." His expression became more serious. "Look... about earlier...I"

Lara stopped him. "No. You don't need to apologize. You saved my life and that's more than enough for me. We just got off on the wrong foot."

"I guess we did."

"So... France?"

Nathan smiled. "And find the lost city? Oh, I'm in."

"We should probably-"

A radio on one of the bodies crackled to life. "Bravo team, come in. The intel has been secured. All units are ordered to disengage. RTB, out."

"Intel...? Oh god..." That could only mean one thing. Color drained from her skin and the back of her neck prickled. Muscles tensed. Her face contorted as distress clouded it. She was zoning out. Lara started sprinting for the library. They couldn't. Nothing mattered more. The stairs were cleared in seconds that seemed to last millenia. Lara tore through the doors to the library, her face was ashen with fear. Things were missing - the place had been ransacked. Her stomach clenched. A girl too afraid to look, too scared to miss it. Sweaty hands ripped at literature lining the shelves. Hardcovers banged against the floor. "...please...something..." She choked. Drawers shot open but fate spared no respite. No shred of what she was looking for. Naught was to be found.

Maybe she missed something. She had to have missed something.

Lara looked around but things were obviously gone. Folders, papers, books. The gravity of it brought her to her knees; she was beginning to die inside. Hands rummaged through the mess on the floor. Watery eyes searched for the faintest glimmer of salvation. "No, no! Where are you?!" Her mind was too lost to listen. It was all she had of him. Tears traced woeful paths down her cheeks as life abandoned her in its unforgiving wake. Grief's grip was beginning to take hold. It twisted her insides. Her thoughts a hurricane. Why couldn't she find them? She had to find them. She begged for something, a scrap of his work, his notes, anything. But it was all gone and she knew it.

"Dad... I'm sorry..." She whimpered.

There was nothing left. They killed him but now he was gone completely. The little she had left of him had been taken from her like it was nothing. Turmoil within her would not settle. Memories of him no longer brought comfort only pain. She was adrift in a sea of fallen hope with nothing to cling to. Waves dragged her under. Drowning. Darkness. Light could not penetrate its murky waters and the abyss awaited. The pressure increased. Rock bottom burned underneath the crippling boot of misery. Lara hung her head and left her heart out to bleed. The last Croft left. Lonely feet tired from walking these desolate grounds. No end in sight. Every twist, every turn, ripping the life from her. She wanted _._ Something good for a change.

A hand on her shoulder.

So hard not to be afraid. She wanted to get up. She needed to. Something compelled her to. Lara began to rise from the floor and bring her head above the murky waters. They wanted her to sit down. Fate demanded it but she knew better. She didn't come this far to stop now. No. There was no stopping. This little game of theirs had already begun and a new player was at her side. It was time to see things to the end. Time to step back into the fray.

The girl was gone, and in her place a woman. From the ashes she came. Searing blood dripped from her tightly clenched fists as she stared back into the abyss. An inferno was building; tears could not mask its violent blaze. She would not drown today. She would not crumble. It was a matter of accepting but she wasn't going to accept anything anymore.

No.

She was going to rain fire upon Trinity.


	4. Pearl of the Orient

This was her fault. All of it was her fault.

The TV was on in the hotel room and she'd just seen the news. Leonardo's tomb had been broken into, the remains gone, and the journal was nowhere to be seen. Trinity had done it. They'd stolen her father's research and made the connection to Leonardo's grave.

She paced around the room like a brimming mug, overflowing with vexation.

Not accounting for Trinity being so quick on the draw was a mistake, another nail in the coffin in fact. Resources. Power. They had it all. Who were they to contest such an organization? Lara didn't care, she'd made it this far, and all that mattered at this point was making sure they didn't reach their goals - shepherding the world as Jacob had told her. Trinity would surely achieve that goal, complete dominion, if they got their hands on legendary artifacts and the like. Drake and her would have to stay a step ahead, right now they hadn't even left for France yet and there was no point anymore. If they kept allowing for setbacks like this they'll be playing right into their hands!

"Come on... just think, Lara." But she couldn't. There had to be a workaround. What had been overlooked?

Sitting at the edge of the bed, remote in hand, the TV shut off. Enough. She wanted to neglect their current mission to go after Trinity directly and take out their leaders. Cut off the head, and the whole beast comes down. She could keep plugging the holes all she wanted, but eventually the fight would have to be taken to the source. That would be a challenge as Trinity wasn't exactly an open book, lurking in the shadows, the darkest corners of the Earth like disgusting vermin. How does one wage war against a secret society? Nobody would believe her should she tell anyone, she was already a lunatic in the public's eye, and her reputation had been tarnished beyond repair - no doubt through the work of a furtive campaign by Trinity.

Lara chuffed. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

It would have to wait. At the moment, it simply wasn't feasible. Right now, her biggest concern was not letting them get their hands on limitless knowledge. Was it her biggest concern?

As if holding an invisible book, Lara stared at her hands for what seemed like a long while. Blood stained the pages, blood only she could see, and it wasn't going to come out. Ever. It was her own story and yet the meaning behind it was like looking at smeared ink and blurred words. Some days, some nights, she wished she could burn the book, write anew, but such a feat was impossible in this life. No one... can walk out on their own story.

The other girl wouldn't be able to hold a candle to who she was now but the longer she walked this path the more she realized it was chipping that person away piece by piece. A necessary sacrifice, or at least, that's what she told herself to stay sane. A new lifestyle required change, but how much? What was once a callow, timorous gaze could now become cold and unfeeling as if tempered steel. Warmth and affection had been cast aside in favor of more useful traits but she clung to them anyway like a defiant child that didn't want to grow up, still clinging to the blanket, the last bastion of who she had been. Those two things were the one part she wouldn't let the world take. It was all she had left of her original self. Her blood was cold, much colder now, yet somehow still just as sweet.

Yamatai had been her teacher.

The first lesson was the harshest. She still remembered it, not as a memory, but as the blade which carved her essence. The marks it left were perennial, as if she was wood being forcibly whittled into the correct shape; you can never go back to what you once were. Did she want to? Would she trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers? In a way, Lara was better off now: she was stronger, tougher, but most of all, she had the will. And yet, she couldn't help but feel a wistful longing for a more normal life. Lara supposed if she did have one, she would wish she didn't. At least this way, a difference was being made.

Why did bother dawdling with the past? Or perhaps, it was the past that dawdled with her.

Even now, the blade still cut but she was less resistant to its honing strokes. Less resistant to change. It was the solution, not the one she deserved but the one she needed, simultaneously the source of her greatest ire and her greatest success. At her lowest point, it had become the only answer to the question of survival. The right answer. She couldn't hold on to who she was anymore. The dark clouds that scoured the sky were no different from her. Just let it go.

Lara never had to kill to survive. Within the comforts of modern life, the idea seemed beyond reach. It wasn't normal and in that world, how could it ever be? But in this one? In this one it was as normal as night and day. It just... happened. She knew now. Sometimes things just had to happen.

Her first kill was a deer trying to get by just as her. She was hungry and needed to eat. Nothing was going to keep her from starving if she didn't kill this animal. It was just the way the world was, the rules of this twisted game that she wished so much to bend and break, but to break them was to lose. To die. The choice was hers. Starvation's crushing grip was taking hold and it would be easier to just lie down and perish but something told her to just keep playing.

The game would not stop for you. Nothing would.

Watching the arrow pierce it's flesh, seeing it collapse to the ground, she could hear an apology escape her lips. Remorse was no longer an emotion which she had patience for but at the time it seemed right; they shared similar circumstances. Similar personalities. Both were always running from something and it was not her nature to take life, as was the deer's. But boundaries shift. The game changes.

Today's prey are tomorrow's predators.

The trial was the first of many and the island wasn't going to let her stop at deer. Her second kill was the worst of all. It was a man. Lara remembered the warped expression on his face when she shot him, his face mutilated and bloody, lying there in his final moments staring at her. She saw them - all the little... emotions going off at once as he laid there in his final moments. Death's symphony. It was a tune she would come to know well. Too well. Before his head went limp, as she looked into his eyes, there was the reflection of someone she didn't recognize. Although he was trying to kill her, the feeling of taking life was unnatural, painful, as if forcing oneself to breath underwater. You can only hold your breath for so long.

So much violence and death.

 _Killing. Killing is wrong. This isn't right._

 _But it feels right._

That's all this game was about. Trading. One life for another.

With time came acceptance. She didn't care anymore. Lara would survive, even if she must stand upon a pile of corpses. She couldn't remember how many men had fallen or how much blood had been spilled before she didn't have to think about pulling the trigger anymore. No. No, these weren't men. All she had ever killed were animals. Even so, perhaps it still bothered her, deep down, what was left of her old self didn't like it. She felt her lips. Her mouth would crease in the smallest of smiles every once in a while. It didn't just feel right. It felt like winning. She was merely karma's messenger, the emissary which brought forth what they all had coming. Nothing compared to the feeling of seeing them run from the carnage that littered her wake. As ruthless as it was, she now understood the rules which to play by; they were bittersweet, as if biting into an apple from the malign tree, the only tree. Eat or starve.

She was the one in control. The jury and the judge.

Lara didn't consider herself a murderer, she killed only with good reason, but it was hard not to feel like one time and time again. Shooting another human being could feel as easy as anything else did now, like crushing a grape beneath your foot. No remorse. No afterthought. Did that make her a monster? She would be to the girl. No, she wasn't a monster. Not yet at least. Monsters didn't have principles.

There's no mercy in survival. People live people die. That's all there is to it. As much as it hurt her to think that way, it seemed to be the apparent truth. The only truth.

Lara clenched her fist like she was holding onto something. What was left, she supposed. She'd been picking up the pieces of herself for so long that it had just become second nature. Every now and then, she'd miss a few, here and there, and keep on walking, not realizing just how much remained until it was too late to turn back.

Two fingers slipped under her shirt and ran gently over the mark on her side, running across and over its edges then back again; the body had memories, but they faded with time as this one had. It was little but a faint mark now but a reminder it still was. That was flesh and blood she felt. This was no dream. Far from it. However, not all scars healed; the ones you couldn't see were stubborn and unrelenting. The nightmares, they were phantoms, abducting her in sleep and whisking her away to where she never wished to return. Living it once was hell. Living it again was worse than hell.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, until it doesn't. Beneath that stoic exterior, she was still the same scared, little girl shipwrecked on that island. Still vulnerable. Still... afraid.

Lara gasped and looked up. Someone was knocking at the door. Glancing over, the clock in the room had changed considerably and sunlight no longer peered through the drapes covering the hotel window. Lost in thought, again?

"Hey, it's just me." a male voice called.

 _Me?_

Lara got up from the side of the bed, left her troubled mind behind, and quietly walked over to the door to see through the peekhole. "Nathan..." she whispered. Loosening up, Lara opened the door. Some company wouldn't hurt.

Subtle but steely, she had on her usual nuanced expression. Something stood out about it. Perhaps it was the air of mystery or the jaded eyes, maybe the out-of-place features, or how when she opened the door for him she seemed to be more occupied with something else, he wasn't sure. The meaning behind it bothered him to no end but whatever it was, it made him feel like she could use someone watching her back. Much like when Sully started looking out for him. "Hey. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already awake." Lara stepped aside so he could go through. "Coming in?"

"Shouldn't we start with a drink first?" Drake chuckled, an amused grin flashing across his face as he entered.

Lara gave him a 'I can't believe you just said that' look and shook her head. "Just how have I put up with you?"

"I know, I know... I'm a lot of work. But I'm worth it!" Drake said.

She shut the door. "It's pretty late. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I wish it was that easy."

"Try swapping out some of that coffee for tea, you'd have an easier time getting to bed." Lara insisted.

"Yeah, right." Drake said. "Samuel Adams would be turning in his grave if I did that."

Lara laughed at his remark. If anything, he had a way of lightening the mood. "So... I'm assuming you're not here just to crack jokes."

"Well..." Drake exhaled, more serious this time. "By the look on your face, I'm guessing you saw the news?"

"Unfortunately..."

"Looks like the journal's out of the question. Trinity - that's what these assholes call themselves, right? They're one step closer now that they have it." Drake sourly shook his head. "We gotta work faster. You got a plan?"

Like a cloud into darkness, Lara turned downcast. "No, I don't. I wasn't expecting this."

"Well..." Drake said with high spirits, "lucky for you... I did some research of my own before we teamed up. And uh... I came up with this." The treasure hunter produced several photographs of an antique compass with the lid open. It had no bearings, only the four cardinal directions, and a central shadow vane that allowed it to work as a sundial. . He handed them to Lara with an enigmatic smile on his face.

"It's... just Leonardo's compass." Lara said, unsure of the significance.

Drake was sure of himself. "Oh, really? Because that looks like our ace in the hole to me."

"It's broken. It doesn't point North." Lara said.

"Right, it only points in one direction. So, wherever it's pointing..." he said.

"...must be towards the city." Lara brightened up.

"Exactly."

"We'd have to be standing in the right spot though, which could be anywhere." Lara informed him.

"Ah!" Nathan pointed his index finger. "That's the thing um... I have no idea... actually... where we're supposed to stand but I think the key to that is hidden on the compass itself. There's some inscriptions on it, we can start there."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan. Shall we?" Lara said.

"Let's." Nathan walked beside her so they could both examine the photographs. This close, her hair had an invigorating scent, like that of a freshly cut rose. He wanted to stand closer just so he could get more of it, even brush that one, perfect, ceaselessly bothering fringe of hair that hung over one eye. She was a dangerous kind of beautiful, intimidating, which made a man like himself all the more drawn. In the interest of professionalism, he stuck his hands in his pockets should they grow a mind of their own. Best keep his eyes on the pictures, but he could do nothing about the aromatics.

"Anything I should know about this thing?" Lara asked.

"Jesus..." he quietly breathed out. The smell. It was drawing his thoughts all to one place.

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Jesus?"

"No, no, uh, see if you can figure out what that means. You see it? Right there." Trying not to be distracted by the heavenly scent, Drake pointed to one of the inscriptions that could be seen in the photos. This was his colleague, not a flower fresh from the field. _Just think about the damn compass,_ he thought. He had a strong mental leash for this sort of thing but if he wasn't careful she was going to rip it in half and destroy his focus. Drake could already see it: femme fatales would be the end of him. Yes, he was sure of it. When was the last time he'd ever liked a normal woman? "Okay... uh, it looks like the words are encrypted in some way."

"Yes, but it doesn't look like a cipher. It's almost as if..." Lara let out a yawn, drowsy and blissful.

"Haha - that's cute." he said.

"What? My yawn?"

"Yeah, it's like a cat." Drake chuckled.

"That's what you're focusing on?" she snorted, amused and shaking her head.

Drake gestured to the photographs. "What? Just keep going." he insisted, like it was no big deal.

Lara turned her attention back to the photograph. "Like I was saying, it's almost as if the text is mirrored."

Drake nodded. "Sounds about right. Now that you mention it, Leonardo used to mirror his writing to hide his work from other people."

"Yes - I was thinking the same thing! Okay, so all we have to do then is put it in front of a mirror to make it readable." Lara said in sudden epiphany.

"There's one on the desk." Drake said. Lara placed the photograph in front of it and the reflection provided something new. The letters were in Latin and readable but they formed incoherent blobs, a jumbled mess of letters that neither of them had any idea as to the meaning behind. "And it's still gibberish. Of course he wouldn't make it that easy."

"A cipher." Lara said, looking at it.

"Yeah." Drake noticed something. "Hey, take a look at that - there's two dates in Roman numerals next to the inscription."

 _MCDLII_

 _MDXX_

Lara did the math in her head. "1452 and... 1520. The first is Leonardo's date of birth... logically then, the second would be his date of death but it's a year after he died..." She lit up. "He wasn't buried at the Chapel! Trinity went to the wrong grave."

In realization, Drake gestured with his palm. "That means the journal's still up for grabs! We just need to find wherever he's really buried. This is good news."

"Yeah. For once." With relief, Lara thought back to what was on TV. After learning that Leonardo's remains were missing from the Chapel, she had assumed Trinity stole Leonardo's body in addition to the journal for whatever reason. However, the answer was clear. There was no body there to begin with and no journal.

Drake scratched his head. "Still, I'm not sure about that inscription. Maybe ah... Oh, it's so obvious." Nathan quickly grabbed a hotel notepad and pen from nearby and started writing. "Okay, Leonardo. Let's see what you're hiding."

Lara was eager to be in on his epiphany. "What? What is it?"

"We don't know where he died, but we do know where he was born - Anchiano. That must be the keyword for the cipher." Drake quickly scrawled the regular Latin alphabet onto the notepad and below it the cipher alphabet. He then wrote down the encrypted inscription and decoded it. It was now readable. "Voila!" Nathan chuckled, trading glances with Lara. "How you like that, huh?" He began studying the words with his trained eye. "Okay, let's see ah... it says: 'Where I end and where I begin are one-' "

"-in the same." they both finished, Lara whispering to herself.

"All right. That's pretty straightforward." Drake said. "He must be buried somewhere in his hometown but I think-"

"Wait a second..." Lara's eyes widened. "Origins. He's bringing us to his origins! Anchiano... is the point of origin! That's where we need to stand with the compass. It's simple geometry. All we need to do is take the compass to his grave and draw a line to wherever it's pointing. I guarantee you, the city will be somewhere along that line."

Drake stared at her, slack-jawed. What just happened? In all his adventures, usually it was him doing the heavy-lifting. Sure, he'd met smart people before, but never anyone with the level of intelligence Lara just exhibited. Should he feel aroused or intimidated? Hell, maybe both. By any standard, that was an impressive feat, the kind of which he had not seen often in the treasure hunting world. Drake believed himself a fortune hunter without peer, but if he wasn't careful, she could give him a real run for his money. Maybe that's just what he needed.

Lara wondered what was going on inside his head. "What?"

Drake smiled at her. "Nice."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Alright, another crumb on the trail. Let's try the next one." he said. They set down another photo in front of the mirror - this one with a shot of a second inscription that also used Latin characters. Drake deciphered the text, revealing an Italian name, but it wasn't Leonardo's. "Ah... 'Vincenzo da Chioza'. That's an alias! That has to be an alias."

"His grave's is going to be marked with that name." Lara said. "We're going to Italy then. Are you up for it?"

"Yeah, definitely. But first things first though, we need to get our hands on that compass. Without it, we're not finding Zerzura." Drake reminded her.

"Good idea. Right now, I'm willing to bet Trinity doesn't know about it."

"Better strike while the iron's hot then." Drake said.

"Okay, so, where is it?"

Nathan took a seat at the desk. "Uh, I don't know. Lemme see your laptop real quick. Some web surfing is in order."

Lara went to get her laptop from where it was on the bed. She didn't mind but it was rather inefficient for the two of them to be using it. "Don't you have your own computer or something? A phone even. It would really be helpful we weren't both using one computer."

Drake unsheathed the ancient piece of technology in his pocket before tucking it back in. "Flip phone."

Lara almost dropped her computer. "You're using a flip phone?!"

Drake shrugged, not seeing what the problem was. "What? It suits my needs."

"But you need to browse the internet...?" she said in the manner that made him sound the most stupid. "You really need to upgrade."

Drake laughed, swiveling in his chair to meet her. "Uh... excuse me, I'm not the one carrying around a bow."

Lara passed him the laptop. "It's a great weapon."

"Yeah. That's what the Indians thought too." He turned on the computer. After a few minutes of Drake surfing the web and more bickering about keeping up with the times, he found the information they needed. Drake stared at the computer screen. "Okay, apparently the compass is in the possession of uh... Sonny Wo. Does that ring a bell with you?"

"He's that crime boss, right?" Lara said.

Scrolling and clicking things, Nathan maneuvered the cursor from the touchpad. "Right, and he's got a nightclub in Hong Kong where he keeps all his items on display, including the compass. I'm guessing he's a private collector of some sort. Should be an easy lift."

"An easy lift? You're going to steal it?"

The treasure hunter remained particularly casual about the idea. "Uh, no actually. We're going to."

"You can't be serious." she said.

"What?" Drake laughed, "You act like you've never had to steal from a Chinese mob boss before. Don't you want the compass?"

"Yes, but I have enough trouble with Trinity as it is. I don't need triads coming after me too. And besides, how would we even go about it?" Lara asked.

"Y'know... I'm not just a fortune hunter." Drake grinned a mischievous grin, roguish and handsome. Surrounding him was an air tinged with the unmistakable aplomb of a man who had clearly done this sort of thing before.

"You're a criminal?" Lara said, full of astonishment.

"Well..." an offended Drake put a hand to his chest, "that's not the word I like to use. I prefer the term 'benevolent thief'."

"Wow... that makes it sound so much better." Lara said.

Nathan thought she was serious. "Really?"

"No."

"Oh... Okay, well, how about this? You can uh... you can be like my padawan or something."

She gandered at him. "Your padawan?"

Nathan lit up. "Yeah, I can show you the ropes! C'mon. Join the dark side. We're stealing from some nasty people anyway so it evens out."

What other options did they have? After thinking about it for a moment, Lara gave in. "All right... I guess we have no choice... But are you sure you know what you're doing?" Lara asked, worried and skeptical of his skill in the criminal arts.

Drake turned serious. "Trust me, this ain't my first rodeo. I promise you, we'll walk out of there with the compass and be laughing about this over a cup of tea or something."

"Okay..." she said , reluctantly. "Hong Kong it is then."


End file.
